1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tool for facilitating removal and installation of a sewing machine bobbin case.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
Sewing machines which sew and form a seam with upper and lower thread, particularly industrial sewing machines that consume a large amount of lower thread, require frequent replacements of a lower-thread bobbin. Usually, the bobbin replacement has been conducted manually: an operator stops the sewing machine, manually removes the bobbin case from the shuttle, disengages the bobbin from the bobbin case, replaces it with another wound lower-thread bobbin, and packs the other bobbin into the bobbin case.
Removal and reinstallation of a bobbin case and bobbin is a necessary, but often tedious, manual procedure for many sewing machines. A manual operation to change a bobbin, particularly in the middle of a sewing job, requires that a machine operator stop the operation, and remove the bobbin case with the empty thread spool. Thereafter, the machine operator must install a bobbin case with a full thread spool. Such a bobbin case changing operation is labor intensive, time consuming, inefficient, and extends the time required for part production in the workplace and thus, add significant cost to the production of the workpiece.
Therefore, there is a need to provide apparatus and methods for changing a bobbin case on a sewing machine, thereby substantially improving its efficiency.
As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are an aid in the removal and subsequent reinstallation of a sewing machine bobbin case.